One common characteristic of the events surrounding miracles performed in the Bible is an “irrational” belief in the outcome.

By “irrational” I mean there is no logical explanation for how Jesus would do what they were believing.

For example the woman who is healed when she touches Jesus’ robe in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8, “irrationally” believed that doing so would heal her. Or with the blind man healed in Mark 10 and John 9, Jesus asks “what do you want,” and he says “I want to see.” These and many other examples in the Bible demonstrate that they just believed Jesus would resolve it, somehow, and he does.

When we pray for relief from our struggles do we try to figure out how and pray for our method, or do we “irrationally” believe God will resolve our situation and trust he will do so without knowing how?

Dear Lord, help us put our trust in your way to resolve our concerns, so that we pray for your will and trust your loving response. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think I heard this from an elementary school teacher a long time ago, you may also have heard this said “God gave you two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion?”

James says in James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

This is particularly true in witnessing. People tend to be most open to letting the Holy Spirit in, when they are troubled by some difficulty, tragedy, or fear. Simply listening to people and asking whether they know that God is there with hope and comfort, may be what they need at the difficult time. Psalm 86:5 says, “for you Lord are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”

Dear Lord, help us take Paul’s guidance and listen to others so that we might understand them and share your love with them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Today is Independence Day in the USA. Across the country we celebrate the freedom won by our ancestors and predecessors, and by the grace of God we have thrived as a nation.

Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,”

As we go about our celebrations, let us remember the words of George Washington our first President, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

Dear Lord you have blessed not only Americans, but all mankind with through the amazing country that is the USA. Help us always remember to thank you for protecting and showering your favor on America. We ask your continued blessing on our country. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We know the story of Abraham following God’s direction in Genesis 22:2, “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

God had promised Abraham a son for many years and finally when he was one hundred years old, Abraham and Sarah had Isaac. Then in this verse, God tells Abraham to sacrifice the boy. We know how the story goes, Abraham obeyed God, and then God stopped him at the last minute. There are many messages we can get from this story about obedience and trust, but I think one additional message for us is that in our hearts and minds, we need to take that thing that is important to us and be prepared to put it on the altar.

If we really trust God we need to take our dreams and say “God this is what I really want, but I am giving it to you. What ever Your will is, I can accept it.” I believe that God puts our hopes and dreams in our hearts, and he will help us achieve them, but he wants us to keep our priorities in order.

Dear Lord, We submit our desires to you. If it is your will, help us achieve and realize our hopes and dreams, and if you have other plans, we thank you for that as well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Many people spend a tremendous amount of time and money to maintain their health, but miss one of the keys God’s provides for health.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

Having a peaceful, low stress demeanor is physically good for us.

Though it is easy to say, being at peace is not always easy to turn on. I recently heard a practice that helps. Each morning take a few minutes to relax with several long deep breaths, then think intently about three things for which you are grateful. Try to physically feel the gratitude for these things. It is very difficult to be envious, bitter or angry when you are focusing intently on being grateful.

Dear Lord, you have provided the instruction manual for our lives, that you created, in the Bible. Help us find your wisdom there. Be with us and help us work on a peaceful heart, to help us have a healthy body, to your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.